1. The Criminal Appeal and the connected Referred Trial arose from the judgment and order, dated October 9,1956, of the learned Sessions Judge of South Malabar Division, at Kozhikode, in Sessions Case No. 55 of 1956 on the file of his court, convicting the accused therein, Chakkulli Ravunni Nair Alias Appunni Nair (hereinafter referred to as the accused), for committing an offence of murder and sentencing him to the extreme penalty of the law. The accused was tried before the learned Sessions Judge for the murder of his mother-in-law's younger sister, Kinattunkara Puthanveettil Kalliani Amma. The murder was alleged to have taken place during the night between 30.6.1956 and 1.7.1956. The learned Sessions Judge found the accused guilty, convicted him of murder and sentenced him to death. The accused preferred Criminal Appeal No. 637 of 1956 before the Madras High Court against his conviction and sentence. The learned Sessions Judge submitted the proceedings to the said High Court under S.374, Criminal Procedure Code, for confirmation of the death sentence and that was registered there as Referred Trial No. 128 of 1956. The Appeal and the Referred Trial have since been tra